King County Council examines report on public campaign financing

Special town hall meeting held to discuss “voter-owned” elections

King County citizens gathered in Shoreline Monday night to learn about the feasibility of a public campaign financing system for county elections. Over 130 people attended the Metropolitan King County Council town hall meeting hosted by Councilmember Bob Ferguson at the Shoreline Conference Center. Councilmembers attended the meeting, where they received the results of a campaign finance reform study the council initiated in April. They also heard a panel discussion and public comment on the topic.

“Public campaign financing allows candidates to speak with voters, rather than spending all their time dialing for dollars,” said Councilmember Ferguson, who sponsored the legislation to study the use of public campaign financing in King County races. “The decision to have public campaign financing in King County will ultimately rest with the voters, so this meeting was a great opportunity for citizens to learn more about the issue.”

“Public campaign financing could help campaigns stay focused on issues, rather than fundraising,” said Councilmember Dow Constantine, chair of the Committee of the Whole. “The Town Hall was a first step in giving this topic the careful study and consideration it deserves.”

Public campaign financing, or voter-owned elections, allows candidates to receive public funding for their campaigns once they demonstrate broad community support. A candidate must collect a set number of small “qualifying contributions” from voters in their district. For example, a candidate might have to raise 500 small contributions of $5 each in order to qualify for public financing.

Panelists included Seattle University Professor Joaquin Ávila, a member of the city of Seattle task force currently studying public campaign financing, and former King County Councilmember Lois North, who offered a historical look at public campaign financing in King County.

“Our republic has witnessed the expansion of the right to vote. This expansion has provided us with a greater role in selecting officials charged with the duties of governance,” said Ávila after the meeting. “By adopting public campaign financing, King County will establish a legacy that will further expand the right to vote by increasing the diversity of candidates for the County Council.”

“It is time to move forward on this project now, but the real challenge will be finding the funding to make this work in King County,” said North.

The town hall was a special meeting of the council’s Committee of the Whole, the only standing committee on which all nine members serve. Every year the council holds town hall meetings in the nine council districts.